On Thursday, Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but thanks to UEFA’s cup-tied rule, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang won’t be able to take part.

Thanks to his time with Borussia Dortmund, Aubameyang is cup-tied for the rest of the season, despite the German club’s exit from the competition.

Personally I think that’s a great shame, and not just because I’m an Arsenal fan. First I’m going to explain what the rule is and why it’s in place, then why I think we should get rid of it.

2Why is this rule in place?

The problem UEFA are trying to address is a situation where a rich club buys up all their rival’s best players. Without the rule, Real Madrid could see Edinson Cavani having a great season with PSG, buy him and simultaneously weaken PSG whilst also strengthening themselves.

As another example, Arsenal could see Borussia Dortmund heading for the Europa League, and buy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang so they don’t have to play against him, whilst also strengthening their own attack.

The “one per season” part of the rule is another way to limit clubs from changing their squads too heavily.

A team like Arsenal can address one problem area in their squad, but not the entire team. That keeps things a bit more level with the smaller sides who can’t afford as many changes.